Macron leads ceremony marking end of WWII in Europe

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has led the traditional ceremony on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, commemorating the day that marked the end of World War II in Europe in 1945. Flanked by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, Macron laid a wreath Monday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe monument. Amid ongoing opposition to Macron and his contested pension reforms, police banned gatherings around the area of the ceremony in the French capital, and in Lyon where the president traveled later in the day. Authorities are being vigilant to ensure that a “casserolade” or the loud banging of pots and pans in protest does not distract from the commemorations.